Improvement in harvesters of grain



No. 10,693. 'PATENTEDMAR. 28, 1854. N.

B. G. FITZHUGH.

HARVESTER OP GRAIN.

,1 R h w g portion of the platform.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC BENJN. e. EI'rzHUeH, or

FREDERICK, MARYLAND Specification forming part of Letters P To all whomit may concern:

Be it known thatLBENJAMIN G.FITZHUGH,

of Frederick, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Harvesting-Machines, of whichthe tollowingisa full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, andin which- Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of my improvedmachine; Fig. 2, a like view of the cutterv detached from themachine;Fig. 3, similar views of one of the fingers and its removable steelblade detached; and Fig. 4, a section through one of the fingers, knife,and

My invention and improvement consists in fitting the fingers whichsuppert the grain against the action of the cutters with removableblades, which can readily be removed to be sharpened or repaired andthen put back again, thus rendering itunnecessary when the cutting-edge.gets damaged to throw away the whole finger, and while these facilitiesare-sc-v cured the construction and arrangement of the parts are suchthat nojoint-v is made-in the front end of the finger in which grain orgrass would be liable to become entangled.

My invention and improvement further consists in arranging the fingersand making the edge of the knife in a curve, so that the latter will'cutthe grain in a curved line, although it has a rectilinear reciprocatingttlOiiOtl, thus adapting it to be raked by a continuously-rotatingsweep-rake.

My invention further consists in makingthe heaters of the reel curved toadapt them to the curvature of the knife-fingers and platform, and tocause them to deposit the grain upon the platform with the heads of thestalks converging toward its center, which greatly facilitates itsremoval by the sweep-rake.

My invention further consists in the combination of thecontinuously-revolving sweeprake with the continuously-revolving reeland the curved knife, the three being reciprocally adapted to eachother, as hereinafter tnore particular] y described.

The accompanying drawings rcpresenta harvester to which my improvementis applied supported on two wheels, the one, a, light to support theinner end of the platform 0, or that next the standing grain, the other,0, heavy to mm; No. 10,693, dated March isz -i.

support the outer end of the platform and the driving-gear, and toimpart motion to the lat 'ter. The tnain driving-gear is mounted in astrong frame, d, tongue is attached, by'which the horses-draw themachine. A strong bar, 0, connects the frame of the two wheels (I. and band carries the platform 6, cutter g, fingers h, and rake t. This bar 0may beadjustedat difl'erent heights toraise and lower the cutter asrequired'to cut grain atdifferentdistanoesfrom the ground. Thisadjustment is efi'ected at the inner end by raising and lowering thepivot j'on which the wheel a turns,and at theouterend by raisbent at-right angles and fitted in a groove formed on a plate, 1, secured tothe frame d.

dividing-bar, m, p the grain to be cut from that which is to he leftstanding. On this bar a guard or fence, at, is erected, at the inner endof the platform, to prevent the cut grain from becoming entangled in thewheel a. Two standardsjandf,above this dividing-bar, areerectedtosupport a lighthorizontalrail, 0, whose rear end is hinged to the rearstandard,f, and its front end made adj ustahle to different heights onthe front standard, in or of whose shaft,p, may be held at did issupported on this rail 0,

'erent distances above the cutter to suit varying growths of grain. Theonter'end of theshatt p of the reel issupported in hearings in a rail,q, on th'e inner side of the frame d. This rail q'is rais'edand lowered,like the rail 9, by-heing hinged toth'e re fth'e main drivingit isupheld. Th'e'f din the upper wheel "runs in liea'ri 1g pa the" stand thehe frame-d. On

g wheel and the is mounted which s on the low'er end of an to the frontend of which a ing and lowering the end of the bar, which is 0n theinner endof the platform 'an angular rejects forward to separate derthat the reel, the inner end v v ar post, and 1 raised and loweredin"tle f'ront'post by which pointed, the opening or slot between the forksbeing for the cutter to work in. One branch of the fork is attachedto'the upper and the other to the lower side of the bar e. Upon the upperside-of'the lower branch of the fork of the finger a blade of' steel, '1isv placed, its front end entering a recess, h, at the bottom of thefork to keep it in place, and its-rear end being held by the screw whichsecures the branch of the finger to the here. These knives or blades aremade of tempered steel, and can easily be kept sharp, and when worn out.or broken can "readily be replaced by new ones.

By having thin sharp blades on the fingers,

to act in connection with the reciprocating cutter, the grain will beoutwith much less strain upon the machinery, and with less power than isordinarily consumed by the operation.

The rake consists of an arm, i, with teeth projecting from its underside. This arm is secured in a horizontal position to'an upright shaft,72 resting at its lower end in a step upon the rear edge of .theplatform, and held at its upper end by a box on a rail, which connectsthe guard on the inner end of the machine with the frame d that carriesthe driving-gear. When the rake is turned round its teeth barely clearthe platform as they sweep over its surface. If carried too high, theywould not sweep the grain off properly, and if carried too low theywould strike the edge of the platform and be in danger of breaking. Thecurve of the knife, fingers, and front of the platform is the segment ofa circle Whose center and that of the rake-shaft coincide. The length ofthe rake should be such that its outer end will reach to the outer edgeof the platform, but will not extend, over the fingers. As the raketurns round it sweeps the grain before it from the platform and permitsit-to drop down in a heap suitable for a. bundle. As the platform isabout a quad rant of a circle, the rake is only occupied a quarter ofits resolution in sweeping off the grain. On the top o'f'the shaft whichcarries the rake a miterwheel, k, is secured, which-is driven by a second miter-wheel, la, mounted on the end of a horizontal shaft, 75resting in hearings in its motion, through a pulley, g, and belt g, froma drum, (1 on the inner end of the main 0nd belt, g, which encircles apulley, q", on the shaft of the reel to give a rotary motion to thesame. This reel is constructed in the usual manner, except that itsheaters are curved to correspond with the curvature of the platform,fingers, and knife. By giving to the heaters this formthe'reel is vadapted to a. curved recipt'ocating knife, or to a circular rotaryknife, as well as to astraightknife. The curvature of the heaters may begreater or less than that of the platform, and instead of being curvedthey may be angular or polygonal, the object being to press the grainback against the ends of the cutters as soon, or 'thereabout, as it ispressed against the middle. This form of the beater tends to deposit thegrain on the platform with its stalks converging toward the arrowsrepresented on the platform.

Most of the parts ofthe machinery, it is obvious, admit of veryconsiderable variations in structure and arrangement to adapt them todifferent circumstances; but'it is unnecessary to describe them, as suchchanges will readily suggest themselves to any competent constructor ofsuch machines.

I make no claim to the removable bladey in itselfias such a blade hasheretofore been used. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-- 1. The removable blade in the fingers, arrangedand secured in placein the manner and for the purposes'herein set forth.

2. The combination of a curved reciprocatcurved-platform,- as hereindescribed.

3. Constructing the reel with curved beatpurpose herein set forth.)

4. The combination of a continuously iedisposes the grain upon theplatform with its stalks converging to the axis of the rake, sub

stantially as herein set forth. I In testimonywhereof I have hereuntosubstandards 22 on the rail g This shaft derives driving-shaft A. Thedrum alsocarries a sec-' axis of the rake, as shown by the series of reding knife with a curved row of fingers and a ers, substantially in'themanner and forthcvolving sweep-rake with arevolvingreel which

